Plaything of the rocking horse type



May 20, 1952 A. PELLEY 2,597,668

PLAYTHING OF THE. ROCKING HORSE TYPE Filed March 29, 1950 IN VEN TOR. Alva/Pew P544 5 y Patented May 20, 1952 GFFICE 'PLAYTHING OF THE ROCKING HORSE TYPE Andrew ,Pelley, Orrville, Ohio Application March 29, 1950, Serial No. 152,618

4 Claims. (Cl. 280--1.175)

The invention relates to an improved juvenile vehicle or plaything particularly one which is capable of being used as a rocker (for example as a rocking horse) and of being controlled or manipulated for rectilinear movement along a floor,

orzother flat surface in at least one direction and steered, right and left, thus indicating the principal object.

.A specific object is to provide a'rocking-horse type of vehicle with simple and inexpensive provision to effect forward motion while rocking and to enable the child to steer to the right and left by selective pull on reins.

Another object is to provide a rocking horse capable of being controlled in a manner enabling forward and rearward motion.

Other objects involve the simple construction of a strong and rugged rocking horse having one or all of the capabilities heretofore mentioned.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent. The illustrated embodiment is by way of example.

The drawing, ,Fig. 1, shows the rocking horse in side elevation and in normal position as supported-on a floor surface F. Fig. 2 is a sectional View of the chassis or rocker frame parts (per line 2-4 on Fig. 1). Fig. 3 is a larger scale fragmentary sectional rear elevation of part of the back-up control mechanism. Fig. 4 is a detail fragmentary view showing one of a pair of adjustable foot rests or stirrups. V

The embodiment will be described as a rocking horse-without intention to limit the invention to the representation of any particular form, natural or otherwise. The main body H of the vehicle (hereinafter for convenience horse) may be made up from any appropriate number of pieces of (e. g.) wood and have a head 2, torso 3, paired front and rear legs, 4 and 5 respectively, and a tail 6. A seat I for the child is diagrammatically shown and assumed to be flxedinthe usual position vof a saddle on torso 3 over the center of gravity of the assembly.

The front legs 4 are equipped with the foot rests or stirrups 6 which are short cantilever bars selectively positionable in a series of openings, two unoccupied openings being indicated at 8. The bars 6 are secured by-wing-nuts 6a to enable them to be easily removed to other openings 8, i. ,e.: .to whatever pairmay best suit the leg length of the child who is to use the horse. When the horse and chassis are built in the proportions illustrated and about 3 feet tall, a very small child can easily and safely mount into the saddle using the bars 6 :as steps, and has no trouble in learning to maneuver the horse in accomplishing forward motion with steering vand also. rearward motion as earlier referred to and as will become evident. V v

The chassisC comprises a pair of longitudinal members 10 in .the form of rockers, rigidly .connected together by forward and rearward cross pieces I l and ['2 respectively which-are preferably flush with the top straight surfaces 13 of the rockers. The legs 4 and dare all strongly secured to respective cross pieces (H or I2) by L-shaped bolts Ma and l2a one being most clearly shown in Fig. 3.

The lower rocker surfaces, rearwardly from paired regions l5 which lie somewhat forwardly of the natural rocker contact areas with the floor F are preferably constituted mainly by friction strips 16 (e. g. rubberized fabric) .securely fastened to the lower faces of members l0 and extending around their ends as at H. Strip portions I! serve as cushion guards against marring of portions of furniture or Wood work situated near the floor. The front end portions of the rockers l0 may be similarly equipped with yieldable guard strips 18.

The rocker surfaces formed by the friction strips 16 lie along radii scribed from points well above the center of gravity (center of gravity not indicated) of the assembly as a whole; and, forwardly of the illustrated normal contact regions of the rockers with floor I, the forward lower portionsof the rockers are relieved or cut away as at 2B.

Pairs of forwardly disposed wheels or rollers 2|, 22 and 23 are provided along the relieved surfaces 20 and extending therebelow for contact with the floor. The various wheels are so disposed relative to the rocker surfaces that when the assembly is rocked forwardly different amounts there is never any abrupt change of position such as would be evidenced by a bumpy or jerky action. In other words the floor-contacting region of the wheels approximately follow the curve that would have been established by the rocker surfaces had they been extended forwardly from the normal floor-contacting regions of the rockers.

Wheels 21 and 22 are on fixed axes perpendicular to the principal vertical planes of rockers Ill. The supports for those wheels are not shown in detail but they may be similar to ordinary caster supports without provision for swivelling. The wheels 2| and 22 may be set into recesses intersecting the mutually adjacent or inner vertical faces of the rocker members I0. Wheels 23 are casters for reasons which will be explained.

It is evident that if the assembly H, C is rocked forwardly from the illustrated position (Fig. 1) wheels 2| will come into contact with the floor and that the horse then can and does roll forwardly. Wheels 22 make contact with the floor when slightly further forward rocking has taken place. Wheels 23 are necessary or desirable in order to stabilize the described action and prevent the lower surfaces of the rockers ID from acting as brakes as they would if enabled to come into direct friction contact with thefloor when still further or perhaps violent forward rocking of the assembly takes place. Casters 23 and wheels 22 take over when wheels 2| are lifted out of contact with the floor.

Wheels 22 are arranged to be selectively locked or retarded against rolling, thereby to serve as temporary pivots and enable Steering of the horse during each or any of its forwardly rocking motions. Since wheels 22 are in contact with the floor whenever either complement of wheels 222| or 22-23 establish temporarily stabilized position of the assembly the wheels 22 are chosen as the steering wheels. Selective braking of wheels 22 (one side or the other) thereby accomplishes steering and the operation may be carried out by appropriate pull on reins as will be described below.

As one example of rein control for steering, a flexible strap 25 (rein) has its ends secured to respective paired levers 26 pivoted to opposite sides of the horses head 2 and connected as by links 21, motion transfer cranks 28 and links 25 to brake-operating levers 3|! pivoted as on bracket supports 3| attached to the rockers ID. The levers 3| operate through actuating rods 32 on brake shoes in the form of rubber blocks 33 arranged as cantilevers in the cavities of the rocker members I earlier referred to and over respective wheels 22. Thereby a pull on the left rein (illustrated) stops or retards rotation of the left wheel 22 and a pull on the right rein stops or retards rotation of the right wheel 22. The brakes are normally off e. g.: by inherent spring action of the rubber blocks 33 and/or forces of coil springs such as 35 applied as dictated by choice or expediency. Only one of each of the paired link and lever elements mentioned above is fully illustrated.

The casters 23 prevent direct contact of the rockers III with the floor surface and can swing freely into whatever positions may be required either to accommodate forward motion of the assembly or lateral motion as during steering.

Ordinarily the horse travels forwardly, and to the right or left at the option of the child as described above. If reverse action is desired a backward-rolling support for the assembly is afforded by a mechanism 4|] which, in the form shown, comprises a pair of non-dirigible rollers or wheels 4| supported on respective frames or bolsters 42 pivoted to the rockers as on hinges 43 attached to respective top sides of the rockers.

Control for the back-up rollers or wheels 4| comprises, as shown, a rod 45 reaching upwardly through the rear part of the torso 3 in a bore or channel 46 thereof and provided with a handle 41 in the form of a loop above the top of the bore or channel. The rod has an abutment 48 (loop of the rod stock) which can be used as a latch by swinging the rod 45 rearwardly, after elevation of it, to hold the mechanism 40 in operating position (Fig. 3).

Lifting of the rod 45 acts on a lever 50, pivoted to a bracket 5| on the cross-piece I2 of the chassis, to depress the wheels 4| into contact with the floor when the latter has such a relationship to the assembly H, C as indicated by the floor line F2, Fig. 1. In Fig. 3 it is made apparent that depression of the rearward end of the lever 50 acts, through a loose link 53 and connecting pivot pin 54 on the overlapping slotted ends of levers 55 connected to the rollers 4| to depress the rollers into the positions illustrated diagrammatically in Fig. l and in solid lines in Fig. 3. In operation the final rearward rocking impulse to the assembly by the child results in a rearward rocking motion of the assembly with reference to the floor.

It is desirable in order to produce continued rearward locomotion that the child shall apply both brakes 33 to the wheels 22 during forward rocking so that the assembly will not advance forwardly along the floor and cancel the rearward motions.

Since pulling on both reins is a'necessary operation in causing an actual horse to back up the same operation in subject horse as a requirement to retrogressive motion has a positive educational value. Such value also obtains in using of the reins for steering.

Since after rearward rollin motion has been accomplished the rockers [0 again make frictional contact with the floor it is advisable to install metal wear plates as at 60 to reinforce the strips l6.

Iclaim:

1. In a plaything of the rocking horse type. a body, rockers attached to and supporting the body, steering means including forwardly disposed dirigible and non-dirigible wheels on the rockers capable of wholly supporting the plaything on a floor in rolling contact therewith, and rearwardly disposed rollers arranged to be lowered from positions in which the rockers prevent contact thereof with such floor into floor-contacting positions whereby to enable backing up of the plaything as the same is rocked rearwardly.

2. In a plaything of the rocking horse type, a body resembling or suggesting an animal, a chassis including a pair of rockers rigidly attached to the body, rollers and means connecting them with the chassis near the rearmost portions of the rockers for enabling movement of the rollers into and out of contact with a supporting floor, and a control device accessible to a child when astride of the body, said device being operatingly connected to said means, said device having a latch portion engageable with the body to maintain the rollers in position to make contact with such supporting floor.

3. A rocking horse type plaything comprising a body and rockers supporting it, a pair of rollers carried by respective rockers forwardly from the normal region of rocking contact thereof with a floor and disposed for rolling contact with such floor, a braking mechanism including brake shoe elements associated with respective rollers, the body having an upper forward portion resembling the head of a horse, levers individually pivoted on the head and resembling bridle bit ers, back-up-enabling mechanism. at the rear portion of the plaything, said mechanism comprising a pair of roller supporting frames hinged to the rockers and swingable in a plane transverse to the direction of longitudinal extent of the rockers whereby to present the rollers into and out of floor-contacting positions, said frames extending toward each other, and a control link accessible for operation by a child riding the plaything, said control link having an operating part 10 Number disposed at the top of said body and the body having a guide for the link, the link being connected to the roller frames to swing them as mentioned.

ANDREW PELLEY.

6 REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,462,648 Kuppin Feb. 22, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date 159,323 Germany Mar. 21, 1905 188,912 :Switzerland Apr. 16, 1937 

